Where my work lives and breathes

As a traditional, non-digital illustrator/painter (no Photoshop, Illustrator or Corel ... just oil and canvas), I have been commissioned by numerous publications from The New York Times to The Village Voice. For the last decade, I've been concentrating on painting larger canvases and exploring deadline/art director-free conceptual approaches.

Socio-political illustrative commentary ... shaken, not stirred.



EXHIBITIONS



"Surrealistic Stew: Contreras, Aagaard, Contreras"

Contreras Gallery
110 E. 6th St.
Tucson AZ 85705
520-398-6557

Show run: Oct. 7 - 28
Opening: Oct. 7th, 6 - 9pm
Hours: Tue - Sat, 10am - 3:30pm




"Body Memory: Aagaard, Roth & Rohr"

Tubac Center of the Arts - Master Gallery
9 Plaza Road
Tubac AZ 85646
520-398-2371

Show run: Sept. 8 - Oct. 22
Opening: Sept. 8th, 5 - 7pm
Hours: Mon - Sat, 10am - 4:30pm & Sun, 12 - 4:30pm




"Art Is a Flag Flying Above a Smoking Battlefield: 12th National Juried Exhibition"

Axis Gallery
625 S. St.
Sacramento, CA 95811

Show run: 08-04-17 to 08-27-17
Opening: 08-12-17, 6 - 9pm
Hours: Fri, Sat & Sun, 12 - 5pm




"We the People"

Barrett Art Center
55 Noxon St.
Poughkeepsie NY 12601
845-471-2550

Show run: 07-08-17 to 08-12-17
Opening: 07-08-17, 5 - 8pm
Hours: Wed - Fri, 10am - 3pm & Sat, 12 - 3pm




"Modern Masters"

Arte Ponte Gallery
529 W. 20th St., 7th floor
New York, NY 10011
631-903-5564

Show run: 06-15-27 to 07-15-17
Opening: 06-15-17, 6 - 8pm
Hours: Tue - Fri, 12 - 6:30pm & Sat, 12 - 5pm



"The Art at the Center National Juried Exhibition 2017"

Tomahawk Ridge Community Center
11902 Lowell Ave.
Overland KS 66213
913-327-6645

Show run: Apr 7 - Jun 12, 2017
Mon - Fri, 5:30am - 10pm, Sat, 7am - 8pm & Sun, 10am - 8pm
Opening: Fri, Apr 7th, 5:30pm - 7:30pm



"Mugshots"

Verum Ultimum Gallery
3014 NE Ainsworth St.
Portland OR 97211
503-493-4278

Show run: Mar 23 - Apr 22
Mon & Wed, 11am - 5pm & Sat, 12 - 4pm



"Reflections On 2016"

Kelwood Contemporary Art
8202 Kelwood Ave.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
704-526-8097

Mar. 2 - Apr. 15, 2017, Tue & Fri, 11 - 5pm
Opening: Sat, March 4th, 5 - 9pm




ONGOING

Ward-Nasse Gallery in Manhattan permanently holds a decade's representation of my work (with solo shows there in 2005 and 2007).

In the news


Oct. 22, 2016, The Washington Post..... Review by Mark Jenkins of the "Artists United!" show…"In the galleries: Trump in poncho and sombrero, Clinton as a suffragette”




August 2016..... Review by C.J. Shane Merci Gallery in Tucson presents a solo exhibit of witty and insightful artwork done in the Social Realism tradition by Tucson artist Gary Aagaard.





March of the Lunartic by Gary Aagaard





"The Dulling" (right) was picked as a CHOSEN Winner by the American Illustration 34 jury for inclusion in their AI34 Archive and Slideshow. From 9,172 images entered, the jury selected, by at least 2 votes, only 215 images as CHOSEN winners "represent(ing) the best images from 2014."














"March of the Lunartic" (below) was Selected by the American Illustration 32 jury for inclusion in the AI32 Annual and will be part of their online Archive and Slideshow. From 8,742 pictures entered, the jury Selected, by a majority vote or better, only 369 images to appear in the American Illustration 32 Annual. (Note: March of the Lunartic appears as No. 1 in the slideshow sequence online.) The painting will also be printed in full color and distributed worldwide in hardcover immediately after The Party & Big Talk, Nov. 6-7, 2013, American Illustration's two, annual book-launch events in New York City that celebrate the winners.

March of the Lunartic by Gary Aagaard






















 


 

 

 

 

  Showing | Gary Aagaard's news and events


 





"Sambuca & Cigarettes" Gets 2 Nods

Gary Aagaard's painting "Eve's First Day"


(June 2017) "Sambuca & Cigarettes (after Degas)" received a Merit Award (Advertising category) in the 3x3 International Illustration Pro Show. It will be published in the 3x3 Illustration Annual No. 14 & reproduced on the 3x3 Annual No. 14 website.

[February 2017] - "Sambuca & Cigarettes (after Degas)" was selected as a winner in the Applied Arts 2017 Photography & Illustration Awards competition. The winners of this international juried show will be reproduced in the May/June 2017 Applied Arts Magazine.

3 for 3 in 3 x 3

Gary Aagaard's painting "Eve's First Day"

[June 2016] - Three out of three of my entries were accepted into the 3x3 International Illustration Pro Show No. 13. White Lie (above) was a Merit Winner (Gallery category). This piece will appear in the upcoming 3x3 Illustration Annual No. 13 and be part of the 3x3 online annual.

"The Real Thugs"

"Nobody Builds Walls Better Than Me"

Both The Real Thugs and Nobody Builds Walls Better Than Me received Honorable Mention awards (Gallery category) and will be listed in the 3x3 Annual and appear in the 3x3 online annual. "It took a majority of the judges' votes to be featured in our show" as a Merit Winner "and at least half the judges must have voted for the Honorable Mention awards." Many thanks to 3x3 Magazine and the 3x3 Pro Show No. 13 judges.

"Cruz Control" wins top prizes

Gary Aagaard's painting "Eve's First Day"

[Feb. 2016] - "Cruz Control" won the First Place Juror's Award in the Gallery 110 (Seattle) 6th Annual Juried Exhibition, "Beam Me Up". It was one of two of my paintings accepted in the show (the other painting accepted was "Nobody Builds Walls Better Than Me"). Only 35 total pieces out of 1,500+ national submissions were selected by juror Melissa E. Feldman (Cornish College of the Arts distinguished visiting faculty). A short video about the show....... here

Also last July, "Cruz Control" won 1 of 3 Best in Show awards at The Studio Door Gallery's (San Diego) national juried show, STRIP: Caricatures, Satire & the Funnies.



"Eve's 1st Day" & "Spin Cycle" receive some mention

Gary Aagaard's painting "Eve's First Day"

[Posted July 1, 2014] Eve's 1st Day (above) and Spin Cycle (below) were just accepted into the juried 3x3 International Illustration ProShow No. 11. The paintings received Honorable Mentions in the Gallery & Advertising categories respectively. The two pieces will be reproduced in the 3x3 Illustration No. 11 online gallery.

Gary Aagaard's painting Spin Cycle


"Holy Holly" honored at competition

Gary Aagaard's Holy Holly


Holy Holly was recently accepted into the juried 3x3 International Illustration ProShow No. 10. The painting received a Merit Award in the Gallery category. The winning entry was reproduced in the hardbound 3x3 Illustration Annual No. 10 and their online gallery.

In addition, Holy Holly was selected as a winner in the Applied Arts 2013 Photography & Illustration Awards competition. The painting was the only piece selected in the Portrait Illustration/Single category. The winners of this international juried show were reproduced in the June 2013 Applied Arts Magazine. 

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